Monday, July 6, 2009

Butterick 4919

This continues a short series of projects I've had finished for a while but am only just getting around to blogging. (I've actually only just finished fixing the hem, which was an atrocity of shortening and not properly measuring. If you're going to shorten always measure and then measure again!!)

This is Butterick 4919, one of the recent "retro reprints" that Butterick was doing. Originally from 1952, it's been redone for modern sizing and such.

I really enjoy the waist/tie detail on this dress, though it is a bit awkward to figure out which piece goes over the other in the back. It's nice to have something that you can make as fitted or loose as you want and you can always change it if you eat that giant Thanksgiving meal or something.

I really like the fabric, but I'm a sucker for over-the-top things and the color orange. The fabric just called out to me from the shelf and I knew I had to make something grand with it, so I remembered this pattern and the rest was history!

The only real problem I recall with it was my attempt at shortening which left certain parts very long and others very short. Now it's a little bit below the knee and I think it's a good length for this style of dress. The only other thing I can remember is that I put the hooks and eyes on half-backward at first so they closed in a really bizarre way, but that was an easy fix. The front straps actually have little pleats in them (I don't remember if the pattern just calls for gathering or for pleats, but I did it this way) and they're a really nice detail.

I might make it again, who knows, but I'd like to somehow alter the way the sash goes around the front so it's more sleek.

5 comments:

I like this in the heavier fabric. I've had this pattern in my stash for a while and originally had a lovely chocolate satin for it, but now I've seen this I think a stiffer fabric would work much better!

In relation to shortening, maybe being petite you might like to try shortening before you sew. Basically measure how long you want it from your waist (or where the waist seam will sit) add some room for hem and then measure the pattern piece, normally there will be a shorten lengthen line - otherwise measure down the skirt pieces to the same point and fold up so that your pattern piece is the length you want to skirt to be (plus hem of cause).

Since you have said you end up removing about 9" you may find you save a load of fabric and money if you shorten before cutting.

I do try to shorten pieces before I sew - and I believe that's what I did here - but I didn't follow the line of the hem quite right and thus it came out quite crooked. I don't know if there was a proper shorten line on the skirt of this dress, as it's pretty much a circle skirt rather than a multi-gored skirt, where shorten lines are easier to indicate.

Generally, those 9" are not from the finished garment, but from the pattern piece before. I understand that may have been confusing, but I well understood it's better to shorten the pattern than waste all that extra fabric.